Thursday, January 8, 2015

Lots to Look Forward to in Calgary, Alberta for 2015

Happy New Year! As we turn the page on 2014
with its festivals, annual events, celebrations and family fun having being
turned into wonderful memories, we can look forward to another jam packed year
of amazing things to see and do in the city of Calgary. The annual events like
the Stampede are already getting ready for their chance to shine, and other
events, like the Tim Horton’s Brier is making Calgary home for another year of
curling excellence. As usual, the city will host something for everyone this
coming year, with plenty of things to see and do for the entire family to enjoy
together and perfect date night opportunities to boot. 2015 is poised to be
another great year to get out and have fun in the city.

First up is the Tim Horton’s Brier, running
from February 28-March 8 at the Scotiabank Saddledome. This is the first time
since 2009 that the men’s curling championship will be hosted in the city, that
year the rink representing Alberta won it all. Will it be a repeat this time
around? Tickets go on sale later in January for this event, and are available
in multiple draw packages so you can see even more of the action.

(Photo credit: CalgaryDowntown.com)

Attention all you foodies out there, the
Calgary Dining Festival is taking place this year from March 6-March 15 at
various restaurants around the city. This is the festival that is specially
designed for your taste buds, as you can partake in lunch, dinner or gourmet
meals, attend tastings, buffets, and enjoy flexible menus as the foodies take
over the downtown and bring with them their world class cuisine.

The Western Canadian Ringette Championship
comes to town in March at Canada Olympic Park’s Markin MacPhail Center. Here
you can watch the provincial winners of four different age groups compete for
bragging rights in Western Canada. Teams from Alberta, Saskatchewan, British
Columbia and Manitoba are featured in this championship event.

Since 2006, the Calgary Comic andEntertainment Expo has been growing, gaining in popularity and adding to its
attendance numbers each and every year. Today it is the largest event of its
kind in western Canada, with attendees showing up in droves to take in the many
different elements of pop culture and entertainment. This year, the expo runs
from April 16-19th at the Stampede Grounds and is home to everything
from the sci-fi, anime, gaming, animation, fantasy and horror genres that you
can imagine. The festival also features special guests, tutorials, talks,
booths and the opportunity to dress up as your favourite character and meet
people with the same interests all in a family friendly and wildly entertaining
venue. The guests for this year’s installment are yet to be announced, but if
last year’s event was any indication, the 2015 version will be bigger and
better than ever.

The Calgary International Children’sFestival is being held this year May 20-23. This festival is all about the
little ones and is billed as something that will ‘inspire, delight and
surprise’ both children and their families alike as you join local, national
and international artists in this family friendly event. Watch shows, visit the
many booths, dance and wiggle and just have a great time being young… this is
what the Children’s Festival is all about.

Who doesn’t love to laugh? Well, from May
28-June 7th you can do just that when you check out Funnyfest—the
Calgary Comedy Festival. Take part in eleven days and nights of funny with over
seventy performers, and eleven themes. Tickets go on sale soon and the
Funnyfest is at various locations throughout the city.

The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth is of
course back, right where it belongs, this year running from July 3-July 12. TheCalgary Stampede has long been one of the city’s premier events and brings
people from all over the world to the city for pancake breakfasts, the parade,
the world class rodeo events and all of the fun of the midway, the foods, the
rides, the games and the world class entertainment. This year, Miranda Lambert
(July 9), Jason Aldean (July 11) and Blake Shelton (July 10) are just a few of
the artists that are already scheduled to appear.

Last year, the Stampede outdid itself with
the food offerings that included some, shall we say, different ideas so it is
always fun to find out what will be included in this year’s menus. The folks
are busy planning away and soon all will be revealed but you can bet this year
will be all about making Stampede 2015 the best yet!

Summer is all about family outings, picnics
and fireworks. Alberta’s ‘most explosive festival’ is GlobalFest and it is the
biggest annual pyromusical festival in town. It runs this year from August
20-29th at Elliston Park and features fireworks from China, Spain,
Vietnam and the Philippines along with twenty cultural pavilions, 12 ethnic
food booths and three stages. There is also a Tipi Village and an international
night market to enjoy as well as adult and children’s entertainment. If you
plan to attend, take your own lawn chairs and blankets to sit on and make a
night of it out under the stars.

This August 28-September 7th are
the dates for Calgary Pride, this year marking twenty five years of pride in
the city! The numerous activities, the festival and parade are all aimed at
supporting diversity and inclusiveness of everyone regardless of race, gender,
sexual preference or religion. Calgary Pride is held at Shaw Millennium Park
and includes entertainment stages, beer gardens and a family zone.

The 13th Annual CalgaryInternational Film Festival is an eleven day showcase of films from Canada and
forty countries around the world. This year, the fest runs from September 18-28th
and offers gala events, screenings, awards and presentations, not to mention
question and answer periods and panels and film talks that are open to the
public. Tickets will go on sale and more information will become available come
the summer of 2015.

Of course 2015 is also sprinkled with the
annual summer festivals that we have come to enjoy that highlight cultures,
countries or neighbourhoods. There is the every entertaining Shakespeare in the
Park, the growing Calgary Folk Festival, and many shows and events throughout
the year around town to keep us all entertained. Then we have the fall months
that are busy with pumpkin carving, corn mazes, petting zoos, hay rides and
ScreamFest, and they will once again lead us into the busy Christmas season.

The New Year of 2015 is shaping up to be a
great one, again, in the city of Calgary. Whether you like to laugh, watch live
sports or concerts or enjoy getting out with the family and learning something
new, there is something for you to enjoy this coming year.